DATE: Sunday, August 10, 1997               TAG: 9708100036
SECTION: LOCAL                   PAGE: B2   EDITION: FINAL 

SOURCE: ASSOCIATED PRESS 

DATELINE: HAMPTON                           LENGTH:   27 lines

AIR FORCE PLANS A NEW LANGLEY TRAINING FACILITY FOR FIREFIGHTERS

The Air Force plans to build a three-story structure at Langley Air Force Base to give local firefighters a place to train.

Area fire departments now must travel to Virginia Beach, Richmond or Franklin to practice putting out real fires at a comparable facility, said James City County Fire Chief Richard Miller, chairman of the Hampton Roads Chiefs Association.

The Defense Department has set aside $200,000 for the building, which should be ready by Dec. 1. It will be made of steel, with a fire-resistant material lining some of the walls. The building will look like a steel beach house. Movable partitions will help create new floor plans, so firefighters won't always know what to expect.

Initially, fires will be set by burning paper in barrels, but Langley hopes to someday install gas burners.

The building will be near a steel aircraft fuselage that Langley uses to practice fighting fires in airplanes. The fuselage is one of the few in the region and is used by airport fire departments from as far away as Lynchburg, Langley Fire Chief Charlie Bowen said.

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